KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The coronavirus outbreak has made its way to both Missouri and Kansas, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has created a family action plan to help prepare for the virus, also known as COVID-19.
The plan includes identifying everyone who needs to be part of a family’s plan and what his or her health or medical needs are. COVID-19 seems to affect older adults more than younger ones, according to KDHE.
Families also should create an emergency contact list, including other family members, friends and neighbors, and identify resources in the community, which could be done through joining a Facebook group to see what is available.
The plan also called for learning about emergency plans at their family's jobs and schools and preparing for if a family member gets sick.
If that occurs, KDHE recommended finding a room at home that can be used to separate that person from the rest of the household.
Practicing preventive hygiene rounds out KDHE's recommendations, as the organization urged people to wash their hands and cover their mouth with their elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
"I think people do need to be concerned about really the same things they should concern themselves around, like with influenza, which is clean hands, you know, not touching the eyes, nose, mouth, and being careful to stay home when you're sick," said Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE secretary.
These recommendations are practices that many people 41 Action News spoke with already put into place.
"If anybody is sick at my house we stay home, we don't go out period," said parent Tabetha Moss.
Bekah Young said she ensures her child also practices proper hygiene.
"We make sure that he washes his hands after he goes to the bathroom, if he's got a cough or sneeze and just making sure we're keeping him clean and healthy because we don't want to share germs with anybody," Young said.
